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New to Fireplace Maintenance? Here Are 5 Steps For You!

New to Fireplace Maintenance? Here Are 5 Steps For You!

The health and safety of your family depends on proper fireplace maintenance because an improperly cleaned fireplace can cause house fires or a home full of smoke. Keeping a fireplace clean is particularly important in winter during fire season, but it’s also necessary throughout the entire year.

Here are five simple steps you can follow to keep your fireplace clean and maintained year-round.

Number One: Employ a Chimney Sweep

What to do: Call a trusted local chimney sweep service to clean the creosote off your chimney walls, to inspect the chimney for cracks and breaks, and to ensure that everything is in good working order for fire season.

When to do it: Every year, or every time the creosote layer builds up thicker than one-eighth of an inch. It is a good idea to have your chimney swept before each summer when the humidity in the air can mix with creosote and form a masonry eating acid.

Number Two: Air Out the House

What to do: Open a window near the fire to provide your fire with a fresh supply of oxygen. Not only will this help keep smoke out of your house, but it will prevent the fire from taking the warm air in your home as fuel.

When to do it: Each time you have a fire burning.

Number Three: Clean the Firebox

What to do: Use a stiff-bristled brush to scrub the walls of the firebox, and vacuum up fallen ash and soot. If there is a thick layer of ash under the grate, shovel that out, leaving a thin layer of ash for insulation.

When to do it: Once a week in winter or when you’re having regular fires, and one good scrubbing before you close the fireplace for the summer.

Number Four: Buff a Slate Hearth

What to do: Use a cloth and soapy water to scrub soot and dirt off the slate of the hearth. Then rinse the hearth down with water and a clean cloth, pat it dry with a towel, and buff the entire area with lemon oil.

When to do it: Once every one to two months.

Number Five: Try a Chimney Cap

What to do: Outfit your chimney with a chimney cap to keep out moisture, leaves, animals, and downdrafts that can blow smoke into your house. The chimney cap will also prevent embers from shooting out your chimney and onto your roof.

When to do it: Once now, and you’ll never have to do it again.

A wood-burning fireplace is a warm place to gather on cool winter nights, and the last thing you want is to scare loved ones away with smoke or a chimney fire. You can make sure that your fireplace is always an inviting place by following these five simple maintenance steps.

If you need help with other plumbing or heating maintenance and repairs around the house, call 619-472-2112 to schedule an appointment with the specialists at Perry Plumbing in San Diego, CA.

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